What is the VIN?

The VIN, or vehicle identification number, is an alphanumeric code (consisting
of capital letters and digits) that uniquely identifies each individual motor
vehicle built (it generally appears on motor vehicles, towed vehicles, motorcycles,
scooters, and mopeds).

The VIN can be found both physically on
the vehicle itself, and on many documents associated with the vehicle,
such as registration documents, insurance documents, etc.

VINs were first introduced in 1954,
but for many years there was no standard format for allocating VINs. Instead, different manufacturers
followed their individual own standards, and the length (between 11 and 17 characters) and information
encoded in VINs varied considerably.

In 1981 however,
the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration of the United States introduced a
standard format for VINs
(now known as "FMVSS 115, Part 565") that has been used in the
United States
and Canada
since then. Other countries however do use slightly different formats.

If considering buying a vehicle, you can
use the VIN to perform some
basic checks on the vehicle:

You can check the VIN on the vehicle itself matches the VIN on the documents
that are associated with the vehicle.

You can use online services to research the history of the vehicle.
For example,
VinAudit.com† provides vehicle history reports with over 60+ problem checks (based on access to a database of over 40 million
records from state DMVs, junk yards, and insurance carriers)..

If you can decode the VIN
(this does require a bit more work and knowledge), you can check details of
the vehicle (and its documents) match the information encoded within the VIN.

Related Links

Here are some related links and websites:

Check Your VIN
Offers vehicle history reports complete with over 60+ problem checks for a one-time fee of $12.99 per report.(Advertisement)

How To Buy Cars At Auctions
With The Present Economic Crisis Theres Never Been A Better Time To Buy Cars At Auctions! This Website Will Provide You With The All Tools You Need To Benefit From The Thousands Of Vehicles Being Sold At Rock Bottom Prices At Auctions.(Advertisement)

Inspect Before You Buy
ASE Certified Automotive Technician Teaches You How To Properly Inspect A Used Vehicle.(Advertisement)

Using the VIN
Why would you want to know the VIN? What can I use this information for?

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